


I’m here.

by Hollow_Vessel



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Cuddles, Cuddling, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Irkens, Nightmares, Trauma, headcanons, irk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22346155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hollow_Vessel/pseuds/Hollow_Vessel
Summary: Between assignments, Invaders are allowed to live on Irk. Tenn gets her first taste of the planet, and meets an old friend from the academy.For Irkens, squintz (close, intimate, “loving” behavior) is illegal.But there are a lot of Irkens around and not many of them are guards.Basically. I needed more TATR.
Relationships: Tak/Invader Tenn, tatr - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Overwhelming.

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is kind of short. Don’t expect these chapters to be too long.  
> No Tak yet, next chapter though. I’ll try to update this often considering my lax word count goal of 1k a chapter from here on.  
> Enjoy Tenn’s first sort of step onto Irk.

The celebrations after an invader returns from conquering a planet were joyous. The crowds cheered and bellowed. The Tallests cast their praises and the Control Brains observed all.  
Snacks were had and Irkens mingled. And after the night was finally dying down, Irkens would begin to leave in their ships.  
Tenn left as well, feeling dizzy from the sheer loudness of it all. The extra sugar floating in her blood was also something she was not accustomed to, after strict diets during training, and rationing her sugar bars while planetside. 

Today she had been able to eat whatever snacks she wanted, and was viewed as an actual invader, having taken the hardest mission available. Tenn had managed to jump through all of the flaming hoops that the Tallests and Meekrob had thrown in her way. Sure, it had not been easy, but during the ceremony it had felt like it was. She certainly boasted amongst the senior invaders that had attended the event. Even her littermate, Zim, had choked down some of his pride to give her a pat on the back for her hard work.

With the noise behind her, and stars ahead of her, Tenn’s antennae couldn’t help but feel buzzy. It was so quiet now, with only her and Ace (her SIR unit) manning a ship on course for Irk.  
The two, naturally, didn’t share any words. There was no need, with her mission being over for now, and the route being clear and without danger.

Though, the invader DID reach over a hand to pat the robot on the head. The poor SIR unit was half made of scrap metal at this point, after what they had done to him...  
She shuddered and averted her eyes, taking to stargazing in an attempt to keep away the intrusive thoughts that such silence brought.

...  
With a sigh, she clicked a button and put on some Irken radio. Instantly, the small space was filled with the medium volumed sound of music. Apparently, in her time away, it had been.. Invented? No, no. Appropriated. Apparently, an invader had brought back sound files that had inspired some likely defective, or possibly bored drones into creating sound bytes that were nice to listen to.

Though Tenn wasn’t sure how useful it was to be making this rather than other work, it gave the radio makers something to do when there lacked any recent news to cover on.  
It was just noise. Cool noise, however. Just loud enough to block out the invader’s thoughts as she zipped through the planets.

She found herself letting her ship run on autopilot as she lounged back into the comfy seat, eyes closed and imitating the general rhythm of the electronic music.  
Maybe she liked it a bit more than she thought.

“Planet proximity warning! Irk!” Her ship chimed a good twenty minutes later.  
Tenn opened her eyes and gave a slight grunt as she moved to prepare for landing. She had managed to lie with her legs up against the thankfully locked controls of the ship, with her head against the seat. Effectively she had managed to doze off upside down in her ship.

A light blush spread across her face as she flipped and got out of the embarrassing position. An invader did not do such undignified things. Good thing it was only her and her powered down SIR unit here.

She brushed off her tunic and looked through the glass, bright ruby eyes sparkling at the sight.  
Irk. With its green, pink, and cyan atmosphere, illuminated by countless buildings and bright city signs. 

It was every Irkens dream to one day be permitted to go to Irk, to live there. Some lucky drones were born and raised there. But the military and elites?  
Only the most trusted guards got to set foot on the planet.  
And invaders between raids, of course.  
Tenn and her ship were allowed through the defenses. She landed in a large ship storage area.

Tenn landed in a spot and let out a sigh, eyes scanning the horizon ahead of her. The sun was setting, and the way the sky lit up was so pretty.  
“Welcome home, solider.” Her ship chimed, before the engine powered down and most of the lights inside went off.

The red-clad invader wouldn’t move from her seat just yet, still looking in awe through the rose-stained glass.  
Was she really worthy of being here? To breathe this air? She wasn’t ready yet.

Tenn waited, but she didn’t know what for.  
It took a moment to will up the courage to open the hatch and climb out.

Though she was tired from the log day behind her, and could really use a nap, her antennae perked in excitement as she pulled in a big breath of homeworld air. 

She had never been here before, but the scent and taste of it resonated with her PAK. A small laugh escaped her as she lifted up her SIR unit and then exited her ship. The air was comfortably cool and smelled like metal and sweets. The air was fresher than anything she had ever breathed before.  
The ground beneath her boots was Irken made, for Irkens. Tenn smiled and looked around, before realizing that she had no idea where to begin her exploration of the planet. 

There were so many places to go, she realized. It made her feel.. Excited and giddy. Like a smeet in a candy store- She could go to a candy store!

She pulled in a quick breath before letting it out through a wide smile.  
So this was Irk.

Tenn looked up to the sky and reached a clawed hand up towards the setting sun.  
She didn’t feel so tired anymore.

To think that some Irkens never left this rock...  
She didn’t know whether she envied them or not.


	2. Hi.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenn settles in and meets an old friend.

“Uh, yes I’m here to claim my apartment!” Tenn chimed to the front desk Irken. She looked... Frustrated with the overly excited Invader, which honestly killed a bit of her mood. She had never really had a living space to herself, other than her base on Meekrob...  
But that hadn’t really counted. Neither did the shares barracks back in training. 

Sure they were classmates, but it hadn’t felt... Safe? That’s what Tenn was hoping would come from this housing, anyways. How could she not feel safe on Irk, their home planet?

“Name?” The front desk Irken asked her, spelling out the information that Tenn ad forgotten. Oh. Of course this Irken didn’t recognize her face and know her name.  
Feeling a bit like a fool, Tenn gave her name and apartment number (it had been messaged to her after the ceremony). 

The Irken smiled, seeming to notice Tenn’s demeanor was different than what she had heard about invaders, who were supposedly supposed to be ruthless killers who thought themselves the best and hated all shorters.

She handed over the key with the same smile. “I hope it’s to your likings.” 

Tenn bounded off up the stairs, keycard held extended in front of her. She really did feel like a little smeet, with how excited she felt. Clutched to her side was, of course, Ace. She wanted to bring him along and figured that he could stay in her apartment, somewhere...  
Maybe a closet. She faltered slightly at the thought before shaking herself of it and unlocking her apartment.

The door opened soundlessly and she closed it behind her with a small click.  
Tenn clawed at a nearby switch and the lights flicked on.

Tenn took a slow step forwards, depositing her keycard into a storage compartment in her PAK. The ground was hardwood here, up until the living room. She stepped into the mushy material on the ground and looked down.  
Carpet...  
She crouched down and felt it with her hands. Mushy. And soft. She could tell even through her gloves, with how sensitive Irken hands were.

Tenn smiled as she went and set Ace on the couch.   
The little guy might wake up later, who knew with him. She would have to... Do more repairs and diagnostics on him later, but at the moment it was the last thing she wanted to think about, so she didn’t.   
She stood in the center of the living room and looked around. There was a small couch made for, maybe two or three Irkens at once, a small coffee table beside it, and then a flatscreen TV hanging on the wall, with a remote on the aforementioned coffee table. It was a small room, but Tenn found it cozy. 

The Invader in resting walked into the next room, which was connected to the living room via a wide doorway. It was an even smaller room than the last, and she deduced that it was the food predation room. The refrigerator was empty, but it was cool inside, and there was plenty of counter space and oven space to perhaps try baking.

The thought was exciting. Sure she was programmed to battle, to crave it in fact, but something about such a simple task... It wasn’t something that she had ever thought about. But, Irkens really did get to make their own snacks on this planet. And maybe many others, Irkens that weren’t soldiers with constantly busy lives and a mission.

Not that she didn’t enjoy her life. It just was a new thing and maybe she would enjoy it...

With the kitchen thoroughly explored, Tenn went to check out the next room.  
It was even smaller than the kitchen! It had a bathing pool in it. Next to it were some surely nice smelling bottles of soap.  
That looked... Nice. With a smile she went to check out the final room. This one also had the mushy carpet for flooring. In the back right corner was a mattress. It was square in shape and had two white pillows, and two blankets (one gray, one red). 

Without a second thought, Tenn marched across the room. She paused and inspected the surface, feeling each blanket, the sheer, then pressing her hand into the mattress itself to test the firmness.  
It was... Comfortable looking.

Tenn gave the room another glance, before settling into the bed. At first she just laid down on her back and stared up at the ceiling.  
Her antennae twitched as she savored the feeling of the bed sinking to her shape. It felt so nice and soft and. Relieved aches that she didn’t know she had.

This was much more comfortable than the resting chamber found in Irken bases, and certainly the best mattress she had ever come into contact with. 

The invader let out a soft sign and turned into her preferred sleeping position, her side. And then she would pull up the blankets to cover her, then held some in her face with her claws clenched around the warm and soft material...  
And then she was out. 

Tenn would awake again with warm beams of light flooding in through her window. She felt refreshed too... Better than she had in months, actually.

Tenn rose to a stand and stretched satisfyingly. The air was still and devoid of sound. It was sort of ominous, actually.   
The invader blinked and glanced around, assuring herself that it was the same space she had entered the previous night.

After a moment she finally left her room and took in the sight, careful and scorching gaze flicking over the scenery. Things were now cast in a natural light compared to the unnatural glow of the fluorescent lights installed in the ceiling. 

A glint if light caught her eye causing Tenn to flick around and stare. On the couch, head turned towards her, Ace. Him and his cracked left optic and dented claw.   
Tenn let out a soft breath, crossing her arms behind her back and walking towards the couch where he lie.  
“Ace? Are you... Are you okay now?” She asked in a soft, odd tone. 

Ace hadn’t moved of his own accord in... Well, since the incident. The small shift they had made in the night was putting her on edge and twisting up her organs.

She knew that this was HER companion, but something about.. Seeing the makeshift work she had done to repair him, and the uncanny appearance of his disfigured metal.

Tenn stood over the damaged robot, gripping the edges of her cape with slight anxiety. 

...  
...  
...

When no further movements were made, she gave the cloth one last tight grip before letting go and shaking the tension out of her hands, closing her eyes for a moment. Tenn gave a soft sigh as she contemplated what to do.

One thing was for sure, she didn’t want to be HERE. Not right now, her nerves were still strung too tightly to relax around her friend.

Tenn made sure she had her keycard, before turning and bounding out of the apartment, unencumbered by the broken SIR unit like before.

It felt easier to take a breath of the clean, sweet air.

—-

The streets of Irk were as peaceful as they could get. Nothing happened outside of the drones and civilians making their way to and from work and dining establishments. Shoulders brushed against shoulders and occasionally feet were stepped on, but the general flow stayed much the same, with no fuss. Just walking, everyone had walked this same way at the same time for years and years.

It was. Overwhelming was an understatement to the flustered invader. This was the most Irkens she had ever seen... and they all seemed used to the crowds. She felt like a freak.  
They all cast her looks. Was it her uniform-?

Tenn couldn’t help but notice, with her superior senses, how much she stuck out in the crowd. Every other Irken was wearing something unique. Some variants of her uniform with extra bits, but none of them bright red like hers. If they were a similar shade, they had hats and aprons, overcoats. 

None of them were plain red. None of them had jet black gloves, or boots, or pants. The attention made her antennae twitch uncomfortably.   
While she could enjoy company, this was too much. She wasn’t supposed to be. In the midst of. This.

This was too much.  
She found herself with twitching claws gripping at her overhanging cape, desperate for something to ground her to.

This wasn’t an issue she had planetside. Why, why was it so...  
Hard to breathe?  
Tenn lowered her head and continued walking, gaze focused on the floor as she used her sense of sensitive hearing to navigate, though it was a bit difficult over all of the chattering... The sounds of footsteps and conversations overlapped and created an almost painful cacophony of sound. How did the Irkens of this planet.. Live here it was so...

Or maybe it was just her. Had the other invaders had this same problem? The thought was... disconcerting.

While she hoped the best for them, she didn’t want to be the ONLY invader of her graduating class to be feeling this frayed by the noise and fast moving colors and scents and so many. Other living things.  
She had thought the celebration on Conventia had been a lot to deal with, but this...

“HEY!”

Tenn blinked and looked up from her dazed stupor.  
That voice was.. Familiar.

“This isn’t the right price, you incompetent drone. I am an INVADER, I will not pay FULL price for this STUUUUPID pretzel.”

“Ma’am, we don’t offer invader discounts. This isn’t an establishment of pushover drones.” A voice shot back.

Huuh?

The source of the argument was off to the right, one of the more open, street side shops. The shop seemed to sell pretzels, types of all different kinds, some even with sprinkles and different dipping sauces.

In front of the shop stood an Irken clad in purple, with antennae twitching in anger. The shop owner stood his ground and gave her a pointed glare, arms crossed. Between them on the counter was a pretzel in a small serving dish with some sort of yellow dipping sauce beside it.

“Oh? Do you WANT me to speak bad if you to, say, the Tallests?” A smile broke across the hatch faced Irken that Tenn had come to know and befriend. It was Tak...

So, she WAS alone in her feelings of nervousness. Tak seemed to be her old self from the academy, starting arguments with drones.

“I’m just a drone. You have better things to do, _invader scum._ ” He hissed out.

It no longer was just Tenn’s attention on the little incident. Most Irkens in the block had been watching the movement that Tak had grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar of his apron and pulled him over the desk, over the pretzel and onto the street.  
The remaining few that had attempted to go on with their business watched as Tak stepped on the chest of the drone and hissed profanities at him about his defectiveness, not following protocol, not having any respect, and not deserving to have the PAK on his own back.

Tenn was awestruck, feeling an odd squirmy feeling in her guts. Though it didn’t resemble her fear or anxiety from earlier. She wasn’t sure, but once the drone had stuttered out an apology (she couldn’t blame him, she probably would have too if Tak had been pressing on her organs with those gravity assisted stoop boots).

Tak huffed and let the drone go. “And make me a new pretzel while you’re at it!”

“Yes ma’am. On the house.” He stammered, having seen the look of death in an invaders eyes. Tenn thought he was lucky that the only causality there had been the overpriced pretzel and the front of his apron.

Tenn smiled to the thought. Sure, she didn’t bully drones herself, but they could use a reminder of just how scary invaders were.  
The invader in red headed up towards Tak, seeing as there was still cleared space around her. She was casual in her movements, antennae flicking slightly as she got closer to her friend.  
“I’ll have one too.” Tenn chimed, before putting her paything onto the counter.

Tak blinked in recognition, tearing her deathly glare away from the drone and looking to her squadmate with a happy smile and nostalgia in her purple eyes.   
“Tenn! Didn’t think I’d meet you planetside.”

“Yeah..” Tenn smiled, fidgeting with her gloves as she waited for the delicious smelling pretzels to be made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeha uhm I just wanted Tak to attack a drone that is all.


	3. Breathe.

This was new information to the invaders that had first set foot on Irk. Though they had the respect of the drones on the Massive, and around training and military bases, the civilians seemed to have a rather bad distaste for the hard working invaders. For what reason... Confused Tenn.

That outburst earlier from that drone... It seemed that it was even odd among the homeworld Irkens, at the very least.

Tenn and Tak’s casual conversation flirted around it as they enjoyed their snacks, which were actually quite good despite the scene put on by the baker of them.   
“So, did you get assigned a living space nearby?” Tenn asked as she finished off the bit of pretzel in her mouth. Her gaze flicked to her friend who was licking the salt off their gloves. 

She stopped in the act as she was caught and slicked her tongue back into her mouth before shrugging. “Well, I walked for quite a while before I found those blasted pretzels.” Tak looked around before pointing. “Maybe 10 or 11 blocks in that direction.” She explained.

Tenn blinked and followed her finger, then nodded. “My apartment is about two blocks that way.” Tenn explained in a soft tone, averting her gaze and munching down on the rest of her pretzel. She had gotten a sweet one with this syrupy glaze on top. Though the flavors clashed a bit, the scent had drawn her to it. And for good reason, with her immense enjoyment of it. Though, it didn’t compare to sugar roll ups, her favorite.

As she zoned in on her treat, Tak silently walked alongside Tenn. It was nice to catch up with her. The last time they had really gotten to chat was when all of the other invaders of their class had been gathered up before the great assigning. After that.. Everything had been a blur of action. How quickly they had gone from standing up on the stage, to getting their SIR units, and flying off away from each other, all in seemingly opposite directions. 

To be back with one of her equals was... Nice, to say the least. Someone to sight see with, perhaps.

Tenn finished off the last of her snack before shaking off her claws and glancing back towards Tak with a cheerful expression dancing on her face.  
“That was really good. I’m glad you robbed that guy.”

“Wh.. Ha..heha hehe.” She broke down into bubbly laughs, unlike an evil cackle, something standard of Irkens. Tenn smiled even wider at that as she focused on Tak’s voice.  
Every since she had began talking to Tak, she noticed how much easier the volume of the city was to bear when she had something she could focus on and ground herself to. 

It was amazing to her, how unphased by everything Tak seemed. She WAS an amazing invader, after all, having conquered Seikel (now Lasertagia), the home of the many-bladed crocodile bears. Though it did serve to make Tenn feel... A little worse. A little. 

Getting to catch up with her squad mate was nice. They talked and walked for a while, mainly going over some key mission details, and talking about their impressions on Irk. 

Tak spoke of how the air was certainly nicer than the air of the planet she had been sent to invade. They spoke of the greasy and odd restaurants they had seen. Tak had made comments about what kinds of snacks here she liked.  
But, there was one topic that stuck out. Aside from the boredom now surely to settle down on their minds, now that their hands weren’t wrapped around laser blasters, the levers to missile launchers, or around the hilts of blades. 

Tenn could understand it. Sure, she wasn’t feeling restless yet, but she was sure that that invader encoding would affect some aspect of that- Which... Wouldn’t be nice.

As they arrived in front of Tak’s apartment building, she stopped walking and looked up to it, antennae limply falling with the movement. “Ah, we’re here. Well, it was nice talking to you, Tenn.” She offered a small smile, before turning and promptly separating from Tenn.

The red-clad invader sighed softly as her friend went. For some reason, she felt a twinge at that. Maybe she just didn’t have any other plans for the day and felt aimless.  
Tenn WAS an invader, after all. She shook her head slightly to herself before setting back in the direction they had come. She would meander around a bit, maybe check out some of the shops she had wanted to get a better look at on the way here.

...Why, though? She wondered why the invaders seemed to have been spread out across the city like this. She couldn’t see a particular reason for it- Why would there just be random openings here anyways?  
She cast her thoughts to that for a moment. Tenn heaved a soft sigh as she picked up a fidget cube, turning over the small object in her hand in awe. It was something she hadn’t seen before. At least, not in person. Invaders didn’t have uses for useless trinkets, and they were called just that for a reason.

Tenn hummed softly as she messed with one of the manipulable pieces, a lever. The sound was very soft, but it was a good one to her antennae, which would lightly jump to the sound. The feeling of it in her hands was more than the sound, somehow. The click felt.

Tenn found herself selecting a pinkish red themed one, only realizing what she had done as she was halfway back to her new home.  
So this was the domestic life of an Irken... Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. At least, now she had this little cube to entertain her and get her mind off of the more pressing matters in life. She messed with the small buttons on the side of it. These clicked, but in a different way than the lever had. But it was a difference that one would have to feel to understand. 

Over the next few days, the two invaders would meet up occasionally around town. They would eat at different restaurants, go on mini-shopping sprees, and meet up with other invaders (namely Arc and Skutch). Tenn found that she felt more at ease around Tak then she did in her own living quarters (which she avoided like the plague). 

Tenn found herself out late one day. The sky had dimmed into a murky mess of blues, purples, and grays. The streets, still bustling with Irkens, was brightly illuminated by the many neon signs and overhead street lamps.  
Her head ached softly, eyes feeling heavy with fatigue. The invader had spent the day walking through the town and trying to get her mind off of things. Namely, a certain someone in her apartment.   
Today had been a lonely day, with her somehow not meeting anybody she knew. Though, Tenn supposed that she could blame her odd route today. She had wanted to see something different. But, on Irk, the streets were dizzyingly similar. Overwhelming scents, smells, sounds, bright signs. 

Tenn found her breathing getting faster as she walked through the sidewalks, brushing people aside as she went. 

“Watch it, invader!” A voice chimed at her.

Tenn tensed and murmured a low apology, though she really wanted to curse them out. Couldn’t they see that her day wasn’t the best, and that she really DIDN’T need anyone adding stress to her already sore shoulders?!...  
She shook her head a bit and looked up, finally away from the milling by heads of many other Irkens. Her antennae flattened against the top of her head, a shaky breath pressing itself out of her maw. Her chest felt weird. She wanted to curl up and not exist.

Curses... Why did she have to stray so far away?!...

Step. Step. Step. Tenn gave a short sniffle and directed her gaze down, trudging her way through the crowds and towards the apartment.

10 blocks.  
9 blocks.  
8 blocks.

Her chest hurt. Tenn wasn’t sure what this feeling was, what it meant, what it was for. Maybe she was sick...  
The thought was worrisome. What sort of Irken got sick? Besides, of course, defective ones. Which... She wasn’t... She wasn’t, she checked she checked she made sure-.

“Miss? Are you alright?” Someone asked, the voice jarring her out of her stupor. Tenn flicked her gaze to the side, the source of the voice. In front of her stood a food drone, with bright blue eyes and a red apron. His antennae reminded her with lightning bolts.  
“Uh... Sorry, you just looked...” He trailed off in a soft voice, looking up at her. Tenn blinked, going and rubbing at her face as she realized that she hadn’t replied, and had just been staring at her. 

“Uhm, no worries. I’m just.. Going home, yeah. I’m tired.” She stammered forth before putting on a smile and straightening her posture a bit.  
The drone, who had to only be an inch shorter than her, nodded. “Well, I was just worried. Stay safe!” Spark smiled and promptly walked off.

Tenn scritched at the side of her face, watching him go off. She gave a soft breath, lowering her claws. Alright. She was fine.

The rest of the walk home was a blur of city lights and passing faces.

When she arrived, she couldn’t help but notice that she felt better as the great, comfortable silence settled down cooly on her antennae. Tenn walked into the living room, posture slouching as her guard was let down. She blinked slightly as she noticed the glint of yellow eye lights in front of her.  
“...Ace?” Tenn asked gently, taking a hesitant step forward. “Are... Are you awake now?” She murmured, nervously poking her claws together. 

The yellow lights in the dark slowly focused on her rather than the darkness of the room. “Y..es.” The robotic voice chimed.

Tenn felt her guts flip in her stomach. She felt... Mixed emotions about this. She backed up, reaching out her claws and feeling around for the light switch. She flicked it on and looked down at the robot on the couch. Ace!!! He was looking at her!

“Oh, Ace..” She smiled and bounded over to the couch, turning around and falling back into the couch, weight sinking into the comfortable plush of the furniture. Tenn didn’t waste any time in slotting herself into the seat beside Ace, feeling him brushing against her side. 

“Yes?” He repeated, but with a questioning uplift to his voice, indicating a question. 

“Nothing.. I’m glad you’re alright...” Tenn said softly, feeling a bit choked up. She was flushed with guilt. She shouldn’t have... She wouldn’t have stayed out so late if she had known that he would wake up in a cold, dark apartment, all alone.  
She hadn’t known, though. The red invader knew that she shouldn’t beat herself up for this, but it was hard not to...  
Friendship with Tak existing or not, Ace had been there for her during the worst time in her life. And to think that she... Had just been outright _avoiding_ him for so long. It hurt her spooch, outright. It ached that she...

“Tenn, what’s... Goi..ng on?” The robotic voice of her companion intruded on her self decrepitation.   
“Nothing, nothing is going on.” She tried to assure the SIR, glancing down and across to him, a soft smile on her face.

At the sight of the slightly dented metal, however, she found herself with her gaze darting back aside. Looking at his form like this... It brought back a painful memory. A few ones, actually. Tenn didn’t particularly like thinking about how her companion had gotten into that state... But she still felt bad about her reluctance around him. He didn’t deserve it.

“Loca..tion?” Was his next question. So curious.  
Tenn smiled and put an arm around him gently. “We’re on Irk.”

“Was the-”  
Tenn cut him off with an answer. “We did it, Ace. The mission was a success...” She wasn’t sure if that’s what he was going to ask or not, he may have already figured it out during his brief moments of waking up... But it felt nice to say. The other invaders already knew that she hadn’t failed.  
But Ace was there, he knew what happened. And to just tell him... It was so nice, it made her stresses melt away to listen to the happy purr of the broken SIR unit.

His comforts always did their job, boosting her mood and making it easier to continue on. Tenn pulled him closer and gave a small sigh of relief.

He was still as comfy as ever, despite being completely made of metal. The warming features that made him a great thermos also served as a great hugging partner.   
Though the purpose of SIR units is NOT comfort, namely, it was pretty well known that invaders grew attached to their one ally on a far from home, hostile planet. No one spoke of it, no one objected nor did they care...  
It was just a small luxury of the invader life. A companion that would last through thick and thin. Usually...

Tenn held onto him tighter. He almost had... She had almost lost him completely... With all those fires... It was a miracle that she was able to grab his memory chip in the first place.  
But amongst that chaos, the only thought that had flashed through her mind was grabbing that disc and saving her friend. Back then she had justified it by saying that it held sensitive information. But everyone knew that, if Irken data was attempted to be glimpsed at by inferior tech, that the chip would wipe itself.

Though... Now that she wasn’t in a life or death situation, Tenn recognized it as a slight companionship. Ace was the one she could always talk to. Someone who gave her just the facts and reminded her of who she was. An invader.  
And invaders don’t cry.


End file.
